‘IPL auction aate hi sab form mein aa gye’ – Fans react as Devdutt Padikkal and Deepak Chahar turn up with match winning performances in ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy

The Vijay Hazare Trophy is an annual 50-over cricket tournament in India, played among state teams. Named after the legendary Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare, the tournament serves as a crucial one-day competition in the domestic cricket calendar. Teams from various regions compete fiercely, showcasing talent and vying for the coveted trophy.

The tournament provides a platform for emerging players to make a mark and often serves as a selection criterion for higher-level competitions. Recently, Yuzvendra Chahal, omitted from both the World Cup squad and the current Australian T20 series, demonstrated his prowess with a six-wicket haul against Uttarakhand. In a separate event, Sanju Samson showcased his batting prowess by scoring a fifty against Mumbai. And the new inclusion to the Lucknow Super Giants team, Devdutt Padikkal has now again made his mark.

In the second round of matches playing for Karnataka, Padikkal smoked a brilliant century against Uttarakhand. After the early dismissals of two batsmen, the left-handed batter played a crucial role in rebuilding the innings. He went on to score an impressive 117 runs off 122 balls, a knock adorned with 13 boundaries and five maximums. During this innings, he surpassed 1,500 List A runs, reaching the milestone with his 19th run in the match.

Currently, the prolific left-hand batter has accumulated 1,598 runs in 27 games, maintaining an outstanding average of over 74. His century in this game marks his seventh in List A cricket, adding to nine half-centuries. The innings also witnessed him achieve his highest score of 152 in this format. It’s noteworthy that Padikkal has not yet played a 50-over match at the international level.

Deepak Chahar also registered six-wicket haul against Gujarat

In the Group D match against Gujarat, bowling first, the Rajasthan pacer dismantled the Chitan Gaja-led side, restricting them to a mere 128 runs. Khaleel Ahmed initiated the breakthrough in the fourth over, while Chahar joined in by dismissing Priyank Panchal. Despite resistance from Kshitij Patel and Chirag Gandhi, the rest of the order crumbled.

After removing Panchal, Chahar secured skipper Gaja’s wicket for a duck and efficiently cleaned up the tail, concluding with figures of 6/41. Chahar aims to maintain consistent performances throughout the season, aspiring for a comeback into the Indian team, particularly ahead of the T20 World Cup next year. The star India all-rounder’s last appearance for India was in December last year, and he has faced challenges due to injury issues since then.

Let us look at how Twitter has reacted to these performances;